As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is an information handling system (IHS). An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for such systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
An information handling system (IHS) may include peripheral devices including storage devices (e.g., hard drives) that are coupled to the chassis or bay of the IHS. For example, a hard drive is typically disposed within a hard drive carrier, and the carrier may be inserted, via a guide rail system, into the drive bay of the chassis of the IHS or drive assembly. Thus, the hard drive carrier may accommodate a hard drive while also mechanically mating with a drive bay of an IHS.
The mechanical connection between the hard drive carrier and the drive bay may be affected by the manufacturing tolerances of the hard drive housed within the hard drive carrier, the chassis, and/or the drive bay, which is housed within the IHS. Particularly, in cases where more than one hard drive carrier is inserted into an IHS, space constraints may exist for camming the multiple carriers into the drive bay. Space constraints may be a result of a requirement that the cam surface, i.e., point of insertion, of the hard drive carrier be close to the front surface of the IHS (e.g., server) chassis, particularly the drive bay. In some situations, the distance between the edge of the cam surface of the hard drive carrier and the front of the drive bay can be limited, i.e., less than 3 mm. Further, the introduction of multiple hard drive carriers, each associated with relatively large insertion and retention force, may result in a need for a great amount of strength in the cam surface of the drive bay.
Previous and current IHS platforms employ bent tabs as cam surfaces between drive bays and drive carriers. However, the bent tabs have experienced difficulty in withstanding the insertion and retention force requirements of the hard drive carriers and tight tolerances pertaining to space requirements of the cam surfaces between the drive bays and drive carriers. Thus, a need exists for improved peripheral device carrying apparatus and systems designed to withstand space and force requirements in a typical IHS.